Most federal contractors must verify that their employees are eligible to work in the United States. Fortunately, this necessary bit of housekeeping may be one of the least complicated.

At a time when the Internet has grown significantly complicated and, all too often, expensive, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify site lives up to its motto of Fast, Free, Easy-to-Use. The site, www.uscis.gov/everify, sports a simple, straightforward home page with well thought-out and laid-out menus designed to do what so few people do these days: make things easy to read, comprehend and understand. Simple, basic questions are asked and answered in a logical, straightforward manner that anyone working in a small business will greatly appreciate: “What is E-Verify?,” “Getting Started,” “Customer Support” (Don’t you love it when the feds think of you as the customer?), along with special sections for employers and employees, and one section dedicated to the needs of federal contractors. Nice, neat, no fuss, no unnecessary bells and whistles to waste your time.

The site has several instructional videos online to explain how the E-Verify system works. This saves time, big time. There is also a section listing webinars (scheduled weeks in advance) to further explain the system and interact with the people behind it all.

All in all, the E-Verify site is a shining example of what all federal sites should be: a simple, functional system aimed at helping contractors get their job done as quickly and easily as possible. Sexy? No. But a bit of simplicity is as welcome as relief from the cold weather.